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School of Design and Creative Arts

The School of Design and Creative Arts (SDCA) is among the best design schools in Gurugram as it has been established after extensive feedback from the industry on the skill set deficit that they are seeing in the current graduates. This feedback – lack of broad-based design skills, lack of design thinking, and lack of business skills – form the foundation for the unique course offering.
The contemporary design courses in Gurugram offered by SDCA  are aimed to provide maximum exposure to students in various disciplines and help them specialise in a Major of their choice in the subsequent years. This broad exposure helps students to align their professional goals with their personal choices.
 
In the final two years, students are encouraged to deep dive into their specialized Majors design courses and choose from among different Minors to build a career path that aligns with their goals. Continuous mentorship by industry experts supports this academic pathway, along with internships and project-based learning.

16

Acre Campus Space With Student Led Design Installations

2

Design Specializations

100%

Project Based Learning

3

Industry Required Skill Set

(Design Thinking, Business Skills, Diverse Design Training)

Design and Creative Arts Courses

Game Design Course

Game Art & Design

Undergraduate

DARE Program

Certificate

Faculty & Industry Mentors

Mentorship throughout the study period is a cornerstone of the teaching and learning philosophy at Vedatya. We believe that interaction with industry professionals is one of the sure-shot ways in which students can get prepared for their careers. With our project-based curriculum and applied learning methodologies, we believe that mentors can help shape the future of students rather than merely a teacher-centric approach. To this extent, we associate with mentors who are established professionals in the industry and who have committed to spend time with the students for shaping and guiding their projects on a regular basis.

Manika WaliaHead of School & Professor | School of Design & Creative Arts at Vedatya
Smriti SinhaTeaching Associate
Kshitij BahlVisting Professor
Yashika MunjalVisting Professor
Devendra DhimmarCourse Director-2D Art & Design
Bhaskar NagendraDirector- Academic Affairs
Anand RamachandraCourse Director - Game Design
Agha KhanGame Design Faculty
Vinay KumarAssistant Head Of Academics
Gautam ThakurCourse Director-Animation
Raj ASCourse Director-Game Development
AhamedCourse Director-VFX
Sumit BiswasCourse Director-3D Art

Head of School | Design & Creative Arts

International Recognition: Honored by Micol Fontana Couture in Florence, Italy.

Design Thinking Champion: Acclaimed in Vietnam for her expertise.

As a member of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) she collaborates on impactful design initiatives nationwide.

Dr. Manika Walia is a distinguished leader in design education with over 25 plus years of experience in the higher education sector. As an innovative Academic Director, she has spearheaded initiatives that have transformed learning environments, empowering students to reach their full creative potential. Her leadership philosophy revolves around consensus-building and fostering strong relationships with faculty, staff, and students from diverse backgrounds.

Dr. Manika Walia has significantly contributed to the Ministry of Textiles and the Ministry of Science and Technology through her role as Chief Research Associate for research projects focused on Indian heritage, culture, and indigenous processes. She has also served as an Advisory Designer for the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, helping standardize certificates for the highest Gallantry awards.

A sought-after expert, she has been selected as a jury member for the International Jury Board of the Vietnam VMARK Design Award and recognized globally for her work. Dr. Walia has pioneered innovative curricula that integrate design with liberal arts, fostering fresh ideas and dynamic growth in both fields. Her academic leadership has helped the youth of India access opportunities at prestigious universities like RMIT, PRATT, and BATH, UAL as well as enter leading industries.

Her accolades include the Excellence in Design, Research & Development award by the Research Society of India, the Catalyst Women Leader for Change award from I CAN Foundation, and recognition as an outstanding academic leader by IBAE in 2019. Dr. Walia has also been honoured for her contributions to academia and industry collaboration at the Global Education Awards and has led transformative workshops in Italy and Vietnam, among other accomplishments.

Her visionary work continues to influence the evolution of design education, with a deep commitment to integrating design and technology for the betterment of global education.

Smriti Sinha

Teaching Associate at Vedatya’s School of Design & Creative Arts

Ms. Smriti Sinha is a versatile textile designer with a strong foundation in design thinking and a passion for cultural preservation. Her industry experience, including roles at Asees by Aakriti and Indus Rugs, has honed her skills in the design process, manufacturing, and product development.

Ms. Sinha’s commitment to cultural preservation is evident in her work with the Kala Swaraj Foundation, where she designed a collection inspired by local weaving techniques. This demonstrates her ability to combine design expertise with social impact.

Her proficiency in design thinking, coupled with her technical skills and creative talent, makes her a valuable asset to any design team. She is adept at empathizing with users, ideating innovative solutions, and effectively communicating her ideas.

Overall, Ms. Sinha’s combination of industry experience, design thinking skills, and dedication to cultural preservation positions her as a talented and versatile textile designer.

Kshitij Bahl

Visting Professor at Vedatya’s School of Design & Creative Arts

Kshitij Bahl is a seasoned architect and educator with a passion for innovative design and sustainable practices. With a Master’s degree from the prestigious Politecnico di Milano and a Bachelor’s degree from Sir JJ College of Architecture, Kshitij brings a strong theoretical foundation and practical experience to his role.

As a Co-Founder of K+A Architecture Mill, Kshitij has been at the forefront of residential architecture and interior design projects. Additionally, Kshitij’s work as a Consigned Artist and Architect has exposed him to diverse creative challenges and opportunities.

With a strong command of various design software and fluency in Hindi, English, and Italian, Kshitij possesses a versatile skill set that enables him to collaborate effectively with clients and colleagues from different backgrounds. His impressive achievements, including a Merit Scholarship and multiple awards in design competitions, highlight his dedication and talent.

Yashika Munjal

Visiting Professor at Vedatya’s School of Design and Creative Arts

Yashika Munjal brings a wealth of experience to Vedatya’s School of Design and Creative Arts. She has a diverse background as a foundation facilitator as well as a design researcher with the Crafts Council UK in London, focusing on addressing microaggressions and racism in craft and design. Yashika has also facilitated interdisciplinary design and craft workshops at D-Labs Design and Architecture Catalyst, mentored students, and taught disadvantaged groups in London.

Her curatorial experience includes managing a successful craft and jewelry exhibition in Central London, and she has worked as a studio assistant, helping in the production of commissioned pieces and teaching pottery. As the founder of Studio Yashika Munjal in India, she collaborated with designers and craftsmen on award-winning projects. Her work has been recognized internationally, with several prestigious awards and nominations, including the KOKUYO Design Award and the ELLE Deco International Design Award.

Yashika has exhibited her work in renowned venues such as Goldsmiths, University of London, and Dutch Design Week, and her projects have been featured in prominent design publications. She holds a Master’s in Design from Goldsmiths, University of London, and a Bachelor’s in Lifestyle & Accessory Design from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Kangra.

Devendra Dhimmar

Course Director-2D Art & Design

Dev is a renowned Fine Arts and Graphic Design expert with 17 years of experience. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and a diploma in Game Art. Currently the Creative Head at Creeative Bird Ad agency and Fine Art faculty at AID, Dev is known as one of Bangalore’s best Fine Art faculties. Modules: Fine Art, Anatomy Study, Digital Art, Graphic Design. Expertise: Graphic Design (Logo Design). Achievements: Multiple Graphic Awards.

Bhaskar Nagendra

Director- Academic Affairs

Bhaskar, with 12+ years’ experience in top animation studios and a Master’s degree in visual communication, is a key strength in our gaming courses. He’s worked on modeling and rigging projects, developed curriculum for animation colleges, and served as a jury for 3D Game Art in National India Skills 2019. His strengths include troubleshooting, self-learning, and positivity.

Anand Ramachandra

Course Director – Game Design

Agha Khan

Game Design Faculty

Vinay Kumar

Assistant Head Of Academics

He followed his dreams, worked hard, and got his first break with ‘Technicolor’ while still a student. He worked on TV series and was mentored by industry professionals. Xentrix Studio was his learning ladder, where he worked on movies, TV series, and games. He’s now an animation faculty at AID, known for delivering conceptual training in an easy way. During free time, he enjoys reading, playing guitar, cooking, and creating new ideas. Expertise: 3D Animation, Acting for Animation. Achievements: Best Animator at MAAC & 24fps open competition.

Gautam Thakur

Course Director-Animation

Gautam, from Nagpur, followed his passion for animation after a bachelor’s degree in electronics. He worked at top animation studios like Paprikaas, Prana, and DreamWorks India. With industry-rich knowledge from movies like Madagascar 3, Peabody and Sherman, Penguins Movie, he empowers students from diverse backgrounds. Modules: Anim I, Anim II, Breakdown, Planning To Polish, Pantomime, Acting For Animation. Achievements: Worked on DreamWorks India movies. Expertise: 3D Character Animation.

Raj AS

Course Director-Game Development

Raj is a Certified Unity Developer, has a successful track record in game dev, starting his own studio and publishing mobile games. He has AR/VR and UI/UX expertise, and has worked at KLAP edutainment and Plastic Water Labs. His expertise: 3D & 2D games using Unity3D. Modules: Intro to Programming (JS), Data Structures, 2D Game Programming (JS/HTML5), Intro to Unity3D, Unity3D for Handhelds.

Ahamed

Course Director-VFX

Ahamed is a seasoned professional with 12 years of experience in various roles, such as Compositing Artist, DI Base Colorist, Roto Artist, Still Photographer, Assistant Director, and Graphic Designer. For his work, he has received the Best Compositing Award from Handmade Films for “Dhilluku Duddu” and was named Best Roto Artist for “Kadamban.” With a background in BSc Visual Communication, Ahmed has contributed to several notable films, including “Veeram,” “Biryani,” “Anjaan,” and “Petta.” Beyond film, Ahmed has excelled as the Head of the iCat VFX department and Centre Manager at Arena Velach

Sumit Biswas

Course Director-3D Art

Sumit brings over 10 years of extensive experience in game art to AID. Sumit has worked on AAA title projects like Tekken 7, FIFA, NHL, SMACKDOWN, Final Fantasy 7, Kingdom Hearts 2.8 & 3, and many more. Sumit’s expertise includes digital art, digital modeling & texturing, environment art, character modeling, texturing, high poly, and Unreal Engine. He has also received achievements such as being a topper in Bachelor of Fine Arts from Jamia Millia Islamia, exhibiting in a fine art group exhibition at Dr. Zakir Hussain Gallery.

Think Tank

Because our goal is to provide placement to our students, we have a multi-tudinal industry engagement effort that includes a think tank (listed below) for advising us about including contemporary design practices in our curriculum. In fact, we have a structured approach of engaging with industry professionals every two years

to ask them specific questions about the industry’s evolution and the skill gaps that they are seeing in the graduate profiles. We then incorporate appropriate changes to our curriculum.

Members of the think tank also act as adjunct faculty that provide a practical perspective to our students.

Chandni BediDirector at Navjyoti India Foundation
Parul MunjalDirector, INTACH Heritage Academy, New Delhi
Manish AnandPhotography
Swati RaoFounder of SENSES PLAY

Chandni Bedi

Director at Navjyoti India Foundation

Chandni is a social sector professional engaged in nurturing communities in rural and urban set-ups by developing collaborative and result-oriented models. She works towards co-creating and implementing practical solutions to complex social problems, monitoring, and evaluation of interdisciplinary projects, curating and delivering high-quality training and learning content.

She is a development sector practitioner for the last 19 years, a researcher, and a life-long learner with a purpose to create a social impact. Her interests are in projects that foster policy change. Being a Vipassana student, an ancient technique of meditation, and having a background in environmental sciences, her affirmation is that humans can co-exist with their fellow inhabitants on this planet earth.

Chandni is a TEDx speaker, received awards in social and water leadership, and has contributed research papers and articles in journals, magazines and newspapers. She is also the State President, Haryana – Water Resources Council at Women’s Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (WICCI)

Parul Munjal

Director, INTACH Heritage Academy, New Delhi

Dr. Parul Munjal is a conservation architect with experience of being an academic at School of Art and Architecture, Sushant University for 10 years and Senior Conservation Architect at Development and Research Organisation for Nature, Arts and Heritage (DRONAH) prior to that.

With a strong orientation towards interdisciplinary research, Munjal has edited books and published widely in journals of repute, in the areas of heritage conservation, community based approach and heritage tourism. The focus of her doctoral research was on the heritage of small and medium towns in Gurgaon District. Currently, she holds the position of Director, INTACH Heritage Academy, New Delhi.

Manish Anand

Principal Photographer at Manish Anand Photography

Manish Anand is a Fashion and Lifestyle photographer based in Delhi NCR. His creative spirit let him to travel the world and take inspiration from people he met, places he visited,cultures he experienced. His modelling assignments helped him to understand what camera wants and finally he made his foray into photography.
He has been mentoring students in photography in many prestigious universities.
He launched his photography Company in 2010, Belle A Productions and has done many Domestic and international brands, shoots, and films.

Swati Rao

Founder of SENSES PLAY

A design graduate from National Institute of Design Ahmedabad with rich and extensive experience, Swati has worked with various brands, museums, and events to bring out insights and implement innovative solutions.

She has extensive industry experience, having worked with studios such as EDC, Design Factory, NH1 designs, 100 Watts studio, and many more.

As an educator, she has played multiple roles such as Associate Dean at WUD, and taught at prestigious institutions such as Pearl Academy, UID & GD Goenka University.

She is a people leader who has helped students unleash their strength and motivated them towards growth.

As the Covid 19 pandemic gripped the world, she saw a deeper need for sustainability. She recognized that the transition to a sustainable future can drive post-pandemic recovery, by providing job creation and increasing economic and environmental resiliency for the long term.

Senses Play, the brand, was born from this need for sustainability. With collections that promote slow living and sustainable choices, Swati has brought joyful yet ethical décor to you.

School Highlights

Industry internships and placements with global brands including international locations in France and Dubai

An international approach of offering Major and Minor subjects coupled with Electives that provides a wide canvas for learning while being closely connected with the industry and profession

Focused on developing “design acumen” in a learner through design thinking and applied learning – building installations on campus, field trips, design competition and live projects

Best in class design infrastructure through studio based delivery, adjunct faculty who are working professionals, material lab, and cutting edge software

Two year interdisciplinary design studies that allow students to learn broad based design acumen and practical experience through an industry internship before they make an informed decision about the specialization to pursue

Project-based learning coupled with industry presence on campus to help students gain confidence in professional practice and become all-rounders in their chosen fields of study, leading to career pathways that include both employment as well as entrepreneurship

On-campus residential facilities that provide the flexibility for students to use the facilities at their convenience

Focus on sustainable design practices based on Vedatya’s practice ethos as practiced through other means (farm-to-fork, organic farming, rainwater harvesting, etc.)

Interdisciplinary approach to design through its application in the business world and the broad service industry that includes hospitality, retail, healthcare, financial services, etc.

Award-winning industry speakers on new Product Development, Service Industry, Visual Design, Graphic Design, and more

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